In my opinion, the way to make a perfect potato salad is lots of dill pickles. They are, in addition to the potatoes, the star of the show. We do have one person in our family who doesn’t like pickles. As in really doesn’t like pickles. So I either make the potato salad without pickles and put lots of pickles on the side. Or I take out a quarter and put lots of pickles in the rest.
What you need
Potatoes
Eggs
Sweet onion
Celery
Dill pickles
Mayonnaise
Sour cream
Celery seed
Salt
Pepper
Paprika (optional)
How to make Potato Salad
Cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Put them in a large pot and cover with water. Add the 4 teaspoons of salt. I use my pasta pot, which makes it easy to lift the potatoes out of the water when they’re done. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook about 12 minutes, until they are fork tender. Lift them out of the water at the sink and run some cold water over them to stop the cooking. Let them drain and dry out in the strainer pot until the dressing is ready.
As you cook the potatoes, also hard boil 6 eggs. Boil them for 10 minutes. Put them in a pan with cold water and start timing them when they start to boil. Take them to the sink and pour out most of the hot water and run cold water over them. Run the cold water in a medium strength stream, not full force. Hold an egg under the cold water for about 20 seconds. I think they peel better when they quickly go from hot to cold. Crack the egg against the sink. Crack it at the top and bottom and all around the sides. There is a membrane between the egg and the shell. You need to start peeling the membrane along with the shell. Do this as you continue to hold the egg under the stream of cold water. The water will get between the egg and the membrane with enough force to push the membrane and shell away, which helps with peeling. Not every egg will be perfect, but you’re going to cut most of them up anyway. Set them aside in a bowl as you peel them to cool while you make the dressing.
Dice the sweet onion, celery and dill pickles. How large or small your dice depends on your particular taste. I keep the onion and celery pretty small, as no one in my house wants big pieces of those. I dice the pickles in bigger pieces. They are, in addition to the potatoes, the star of the show.
In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice and celery seed. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes, onion, celery and pickles. Pick out the 3 best looking eggs and quarter them. Set these aside for the top of the potato salad. Dice the other 3 eggs and add them to the bowl.
Stir everything together and taste again for salt and pepper. You can add more mayonnaise and pickle juice if you feel you need more dressing. Wipe the inside edges of the bowl with a paper towel and top with the quartered eggs. Sprinkle the top with paprika.
Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red potatoes
- 4 teaspoons salt for cooking water
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup diced sweet onion
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced dill pickles
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons of pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- Paprika (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Put them in a large pot and cover with water. Add the 4 teaspoons of salt. I use my pasta pot, which makes it easy to lift the potatoes out of the water when they’re done. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook about 12 minutes, until they are fork tender. Lift them out of the water at the sink and run some cold water over them to stop the cooking. Let them drain and dry out in the strainer pot until the dressing is ready.
- Step 2 As you cook the potatoes, also hard boil 6 eggs. Boil them for 10 minutes. Put them in a pan with cold water and start timing them when they start to boil. Take them to the sink and pour out most of the hot water and run cold water over them. Run the cold water in a medium strength stream, not full force. Hold an egg under the cold water for about 20 seconds. I think they peel better when they quickly go from hot to cold. Crack the egg against the sink. Crack it at the top and bottom and all around the sides. There is a membrane between the egg and the shell. You need to start peeling the membrane along with the shell. Do this as you continue to hold the egg under the stream of cold water. The water will get between the egg and the membrane with enough force to push the membrane and shell away, which helps with peeling. Not every egg will be perfect, but you’re going to cut most of them up anyway. Set them aside in a bowl as you peel them to cool while you make the dressing.
- Step 3 Dice the sweet onion, celery and dill pickles. How large or small your dice depends on your particular taste. I keep the onion and celery pretty small, as no one in my house wants big pieces of those. I dice the pickles in bigger pieces. They are, in addition to the potatoes, the star of the show.
- Step 4 In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice and celery seed. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes, onion, celery and pickles. Pick out the 3 best looking eggs and quarter them. Set these aside for the top of the potato salad. Dice the other 3 eggs and add them to the bowl.
- Step 5 Stir everything together and taste again for salt and pepper. You can add more mayonnaise and pickle juice if you feel you need more dressing. Wipe the inside edges of the bowl with a paper towel and top with the quartered eggs. Sprinkle the top with paprika.
